The Oak Park Village Board approved a proposal May 5 to bring a mixed martial arts training and fitness center to the site of a former Borders Books store at Harlem Avenue and Lake Street.

A local franchisee of international chain UFC Gym plans to open the Oak Park facility in the next three to four months. Omar Rudaini said he has opened five of the gyms in the Chicago area and plans to open three more this year, including the one in Oak Park. He said he employs professional UFC coaches and fighters to teach classes, but would not host professional fights. He said he might host amateur fights.

Gyms are classified as "health, athletic, recreation and amusement" facilities under village zoning laws. They are not normally permitted on the first floor of buildings in the district where the gym is proposed, but the Zoning Board of Appeals recommended granting a special use permit to building owner Nicholas Karris, which the board approved.

The first floor of the building, located at 1144 Lake Street, has been vacant since Borders left in 2011, according to Zoning Board of Appeals meeting minutes. Karris told the board the floor's "long and deep" layout, with limited street frontage, made it difficult to market to retailers.

He said he and his family opted to split the floor into two 5,000 square-foot sections. The Village Board approved the gym for the north section on Harlem Avenue; Karris hopes to attract a restaurant for the south section on Lake Street, he told the zoning board.

UFC Gym has more than 100 locations around the world, according to information the franchise submitted to the village. Rudaini has said the average member is a professional adult about 32 years old, and that 60 percent of current members are women. He expects the gym to attract people from around the west suburbs and predicted the gym would draw about 800 members.